Hiking and Poetry

Last Sunday our unicorn family went for a hike in the Sylvia Grinnel National Park. This time we started at the new for us entrance and hiked all the way to the waterfall and back.

On the drive back, still on the park's empty road, both Unicorn Kids got a chance to steer the car.

When we got home, Girl Unicorn and I wrote a poem together. My line was first, her second, and so on. Here it is:

Hiking in the Sylvia Grinnell Park

River wild
Wild river
High tide
Wet rocks.

Bugs bite
Fish swim
Clouds white
White clouds.

Feet tired
Baby crying
Car’s near
Home again.

Reading in Russian

Last night Girl Unicorn read me a story by Lev Tolstoy, from his Tolstoy for Children collection. The story was called A Stallion and a Mare. I'm not sure myself what the moral of that story is, other than "If you do the right thing, you might get hurt for it."

Today she read me two more stories by Tolstoy. She read some of them silently to herself too, and several for the Baby Unicorn.

It is amazing how well she's starting to read now.

Sprouts

On sunday we started sprouting lentil, broccoli, and radishes. Today we have our little harvest. At least to me, radishes taste the best--tingy and crunchy. I envision sprout growing becoming a regular activity in our house. Yum!



The lentil instructions said that the sprouts would be ready in 3 days, but I think all of them are ready. Except the mungo beans, which I haven't even mentioned. I'm not impressed with the beans. Boo! But in all honestly, I should've soaked them for longer.



I like the jar method so far--seems easy and I don't need a fancy sprouter.



This is how lentils look on the third day.

Alinait Day 1

Alinait, the annual Iqaluit cultural festival is in town!

Yesterday we attended a guitar workshop in the Visitors’ Center and a drumming workshop in the rock garden in front of the NorthMart. Girl Unicorn took over a hundred photos of the drumming event and posted some on her blog.


The guitarist admitted that he was more nervous in front of the 6 or so people in the workshop, than in front of big crowds. He also said that it is for the first time ever someone was listening to an ipod at his workshop. Yes, my 4 year old boy unicorn didn’t appreciate country music.
I chatted a little with a musician from Toronto—he was in awe with the Arctic, with the town, with everything he saw.


I was proud that Boy Unicorn was patient and understanding during the guitar workshop, even if he didn’t like the music. I was relieved that my Girl Unicorn brought her ipod to share. And I was especially proud that my Girl Unicorn bravely walked up to the guitarist and asked him whether he was ever nervous or shy while performing. (And he said yes, almost always).



After 4 hours of walking downtown, we were too exhausted to attend the opening ceremonies.




The photo of the rock garden after the little crowed dispersed. The festival tent is at the distance.

Solstice in the Arctic

We arrived at the Sylvia Grinnel Park five minutes to midnight. An impromptu decision—to celebrate Solstice! How special it is in the land of the midnight sun! The night was bright and still—the wind that blew hard during the day had died.

We brought our own firewood and chose a designated fire pit just up the hill, so that we could enjoy the view of the river down below.

The sky was pale, and it really felt like an overcast day, rather than a night. I climbed up a bit higher, sat on a rock and drank my tea, and watched the rolling hills on the other side of the river. Like on an old, grainy photograph, the hills stretched forever. There was magic in the air—this place existed like this for thousands of years, and probably looked about the same. Places like this make me shiver.

Girl Unicorn soon fetched me to go down and see the fire that they’d started.


We stayed in the park for over an hour—until the sky grew a hue of pale pink. The night was quiet and peaceful. The only sound, the wild rushing river at the distance.

The little unicorns declared the day the best day ever, and they are right. I’m still sleepy, but it was so worth it.

And now, the night in photos:

Baby Unicorn all ready to go at quarter to midnight!











It looks like the ice below is almost on the same level as the fire, but in reality it is quite a hike down.
Baby Unicorn woke up around 12:30 but promptly fell asleep.
Yes, it was THAT bright!


This is me enjoying my solitude atop of the hill, with fuzzy Iqaluit at the background.
Girl Unicorn had a smart idea to use the self-timer! What a special family portrait.

The sky at quarter to midnight, as we were arriving to the park. When I opened the car window to snap the photo, I saw a lemming!


The sky at just after 1AM, at about the same spot. The sun is rising.

Arctic Summer

Today after late breakfast we went to the Sylvia Grinnel National Park. It was about 10C, but windy. I love how the air smells there--of melting snow, wind, and ocean salt.

We tried to fly a kite, and looked for the first flowers. We've already seen the first purple saxifrages in town, but I think there, in the park, it is still too cold. We did see fuzzy willow flowers, though.

On our way home we decided to take another dirt road around the park--and drove and drove, sometimes through huge puddles. But it was worth it. We ended up on the bank of the Sylvia Grinnel river--wild and turquoise because of the ice under the water.

I snapped photos of the frequent airplanes above, and of the rushing water. Boy Unicorn almost fell into the river, while smashing ice formations on shore. Girl Unicorn mostly stayed in the car, writing her novel. Baby Unicorn laughed and laughed in the amautik.